Opportunity knocks for new faces

IRELAND’S absentee list continues to grow before tomorrow night’s friendly against Norway.

Darron Gibson, whose 18-month-old daughter Evie is ill, has had to withdraw from the squad.

“He could have done with 90 minutes,” said Giovanni Trapattoni, “but family is more important than football.”

And Keiren Westwood is out through illness, with Scunthorpe’s Joe Murphy getting called into the squad as back-up for Shay Given who will captain the side in the absence of Robbie Keane.

Last night, following scans, Paul Green and Sean St Ledger were forced to withdraw due to knee injuries while there is still a doubt about Kevin Doyle, although the Wolves man trained yesterday despite a hand injury.

With experienced players like Richard Dunne, Kevin Kilbane and Paul McShane ruled out, the injury crisis means Trapattoni is obliged to blood more new and fringe talent than would normally be his habit.

“Yes, there are missing many injured players but in my career, this is not the first time I have faced this situation. “And it’s important now that this game gives us a chance to know better the young players – like Keith Treacy, Seamus Coleman, Stephen Kelly and Jonathan Walters. It’s very important for them and for us if we can know their personalities and it’s important for the future to have them available. With us they can increase in confidence.

“Norway will be strong – tactically, psychologically and physically. Norway are at the top of their group, they have beaten Portugal, Cyprus and Iceland. I have also reviewed the game we played against them two years ago. They changed players since then and improved but also Ireland have changed and improved. I hope it can be a good game.”

Despite Sam Allardyce suggesting earlier in the week that his good buddy Trapattoni might like to review his assessment of Steven Reid – now that the player is getting regular starts in the Premier League again with West Brom – the Ireland manager maintains that he has a surfeit of options in most areas of the pitch. Of course, he still gave a mandatory nod to ‘keeping an eye’ on both Reids, Steven and Andy, but more telling surely was his assertion that Ireland must look to the future.

Beginning tomorrow, that means we are certain to see young full backs Seamus Coleman and Greg Cunningham get at least some part of the 90 minutes, while Darren O’Dea, despite his lack of game time at Ipswich, is also expected to feature in a necessarily experimental back four.

“I spoke to O’Dea last week and he said ‘I am ready to play’,” said Trapattoni. He is a defender, defenders don’t have to run as much as midfielders so their condition isn’t as important.”

Up front, Jonathan Walters is finally poised to make his senior debut. “He’s different to Robbie Keane, he’s a strong, physical player,” said Trapattoni. “With him, Doyle and Long, we still have enough offensive players.”

The international breakthrough has been a long time coming for Walters who, after a number of years out of the top flight, has caught the eye playing for Stoke City in the Premier League.

The Wirral-born 27-year-old qualifies through his mother Helen Brady who grew up close to Croke Park but, having moved to England and married, she passed away when Jon was just 12.

Inevitably, getting to tread the turf at the Aviva will be both a proud and emotional moment for her son.

“It’s a hell of a lot bigger with family involved,” he says. “My mum’s sisters and brothers were in tears when I got called up. There’ll be about 20 members of my family there tomorrow night. My dad (Jim) and my brothers are coming over from England and everyone else is coming from Dublin.”

Although previously capped at U21 and B level, the striker admits that there were times when he wondered if the senior call-up would ever come.

“I hoped it would but, the longer it went on, I sort of put it at the back of the mind,” he says. “There was a time last year when I thought it might have happened. When I was at Ipswich a couple of lads got called into squads like Damien (Delaney) and Alex (Bruce), so I thought I might have got a look in then, but it never came. But I don’t see why my age should be a problem. You see people coming in late on. I’ve got to concentrate on doing well and hopefully make the next squad as well. A couple of lads have had to pull out of this one, like Robbie and Caleb (Folan). So there are only three or four strikers now. There means there’s a chance for me to do something. Hopefully, I can take it.”